Customer Reviews

Player's Ruse (Knight & Rogue (Hardback))

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The latest in the Knight and Rogue series is wonderful. It's a good bit different from the other two books in the series and fleshes out the characters some more. It's also nice to see Michael and Fisk aging a bit and growing up. It wraps up well, but leaves enough room for another adventure. I would recommend this book (and the other two) to anybody that likes a clean adventure story, with entertaining and lovable characters, and good plot twists. There was also the bonus appearance of a character that so far, we had only heard about from Fisk's point of view. Love it and eagerly await a fourth installment in the series.

This series is so under rated! My favorite series of all the Hilari Bell by far and I really enjoy all her books. This series however is written at a higher level altogether. Some of the humor is targeted to an older reading group. The book is written from two different peoples perspectives (Michael and Fisk) who are quite different by nature. Fisk is self preserving and Michael is a do-gooder no matter the cost, with some very unusual talents which makes for some interesting situations. This series is wonderful for ages teen through adult.

Fisk and Michael encounter Lady Rosamund in their journeys. She's searching for the man she loves, but her Uncle (Michael's father) refuses to allow her to marry. Hopelessly in love with her himself, Michael agrees to help her find Rudy - a traveling player.

Just as they're arriving into the town where their information leads them to believe Rudy will be staying, they come across a fire. When they arrive and give word of the fire, they're taken back out into the night, where they must show the sheriff and his men the exact location.

Wreckers have been making havoc on the ships and therefore the town. No one knows who's behind the deeds, but if they don't stop them the town will go to ruins. Michael wants to investigate the matter further.

When Rosamund finds her love, trouble follows her. When the bounty hunter attempting to take her back ends up murdered, the sheriff refuses to let Michael, Fisk, Rosamund, and the players leave town, as they're witnesses to the wrecking and the murder. Resigned, Michael and Fisk join the players in their acts.

There's something not right amongst the players as accidents keep happening. Are they really accidents or is someone looking to cause trouble? Could these incidents be related to the wreckers, or does someone just have a grudge against Michael?

This is the third book in the KNIGHT AND ROGUE series about two teen boys. Michael and Fisk seem like an unlikely pair, but their partnership works, as Michael tends to be softhearted, which often leads him into trouble, and Fisk's streetwise skills save the boys often. Their adventures always contain action, danger, and the strength of brotherhood.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Well, so far the Knight & Rogue series has been somewhat less than I expected. Hilari Bell is one of my favorite authors. I read all her books, but as an avid fan, I've started seeing redundant similarities between her books. Fisk and Michael are growing increasingly similar to Weasel and Edoran from the Shield, Sword, and Crown trilogy; both Fisk and Weasel are sly, sassy former burglars and perform similar feats in the books. The earth-magic of the Knight & Rogue world is similar to the elemental power that flows through the Shield, Sword, and Crown world.

Also, Player's Ruse follows familiar plot guidelines set in Bell's earlier books. The plot twists remind me of Rogue's Home, Ruse's prequel. Both books revolve around running, sneaking, and burglaries. The plot has also been supplemented with non-essential filler, acting in plays, a woman doing fortune-teller tricks, etc. I'm disappointed that there seems to be no grander, overarching, kingdom-crushing plot in the Knight and Rogue series, as in the Farsala Trilogy andA Matter of Profit. This is just a buddy story, and it's getting too predictable for my taste. Unless you're a fan of Bell's writing style itself, my recommendation is thumbs-down. For myself, I would read the next book in the Knight and Rogue series, but probably wouldn't buy.